Gaining More with Less (con't)

Mindy Godding

Whatever the case may be, everyone is entitled to having a bad day, but that doesn’t mean they have to happen all the time.

The secret to avoiding these common mistakes is possessing one simple skill — organization. Having structure in your life can save you money, time, and energy, but often, people don’t know where to begin. To make it easier, we enlisted the help of Mindy Godding, Richmond business owner of Abundance Organizing, to give tips on how to tidy up our lives. As a certified professional organizer, speaker/trainer and hoarding specialist, Godding is an expert in creating order out of chaos.

“Professional organizing can cover many different areas of work, but generally we focus on helping individuals reduce clutter or navigate major life transitions,” Godding said. “There are organizers who specialize in relocation, in downsizing, preparing spaces for new babies or other family members to move in. It can cover more energetic pursuits like Fung Sei or Wabi Sabi, all the way to a corporate organizer who specializes in working with technology or paper filing.”So you’re interested in becoming organized, but don’t know where to start? One of Godding’s tips for beginners is bringing someone in to look at your space for a fresh perspective. “It doesn’t have to be a professional organizer, it could just be a friend or family member, because just having somebody standing at your side can allow you to see the space in a different way,” she said. “I think sometimes women have this internal dialogue, were we are really self-deprecating. We don’t champion ourselves, we don’t think we can have success, we’re getting ourselves down even before we take the first step, and having somebody there to challenge that negative thinking and give you that cheerleader role is 90 percent of the battle.”

Godding said another reason organization can be especially challenging for women is because of the different daily roles they are expected to perform, and the added pressure of operating well in each of them. “We’re pulled in all these different directions. We still have the 1950’s mentality when it comes to how to maintain an organized home, and yet we don’t give ourselves that kind of time. We are giving ourselves the 21st century kind of time,” she said.

To combat this challenge, organization allows women to regain some semblance of control in their lives, and can be a source of empowerment, she said. “A woman, especially a mom, will prioritize every other space in the house, but neglects her own. At a certain point, if you get up in the morning and you get stressed out before your feet even hit the floor, then that can have a huge impact on your day-to-day demeanor,” she said. “Being organized can minimize these moments.”

Once you’ve made the big decision to have someone evaluate your space, the next step is to develop a vision for it. “That vision has less to do with the look of the space and more to do with the function. If you can clearly define what activities you want to accomplish in the space, it’s going to then dictate for you what should stay and what should go.”

Godding said once the space is organized, building routines and habits will help you maintain the area.

“Another tip I like to recommend is linking a chore with a fun activity. For example, I don’t go through the mail everyday, I’m a busy, working women, so the mail will sometimes stack up for a week,” she said. “So once a week during my favorite television show, I grab a whole stack of mail and go through it. It makes the chore more enjoyable.”

Witnessing the positive effects organization can have on someone else’s life is what has kept Godding in the field, and why she urges other women to make that time for themselves.“Women are so reluctant to seek out help, but it’s like anything else in life. If you have struggled for years to lose weight then it might be a good idea to call in a professional trainer,” she said. “Organizing your life can actually be a really fun and rewarding processes. It doesn’t have to be scary.”